Remote controls of various kinds are known in the art. Generally speaking, a remote control offers a user interface that is located remotely from a controlled apparatus to thereby permit an end user to control that controlled apparatus notwithstanding a lack of proximity between the end user and the controlled apparatus. One ubiquitous example in this regard is the wall-mounted remote control typically provided with a movable barrier operator such as a garage door operator. Such a wall-mounted remote control often permits an end user to control the state of a movable barrier and/or a workspace light via the garage door operator.
In some cases, this user interface has corresponding local lighting. As used herein, this reference to “local lighting” will be understood to refer to lighting having a primary purpose of illuminating one or more features of the user interface. Such features can comprise, for example, things that the end user can touch or otherwise manipulate (such as a pushbutton or keypad) or things that the end user can perceive in order to obtain information (such as a liquid crystal display). For example, keypad backlighting comprises one salient example of local lighting. “Local lighting” will therefore be understood to not include lighting where such user interface illumination comprises only a secondary or ancillary effect (as might occur, for example, by illuminating a work light in the general vicinity of the user interface).
Such local lighting can serve both an aesthetic purpose as well as a security/convenience purpose. Such illumination can serve, for example, to assist the end user with both locating the user interface and properly manipulating the user interface's features in order to effect a particular desired control of the controlled apparatus. When provided, however, such local lighting is often “always on.” This can result in wasting electricity by providing such illumination at times when ambient lighting is sufficient to serve the purposes of the local lighting.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.